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Red Velvet Blossom Cookies are the 4 ingredient Christmas cookie that looks bakery-bought, soft red velvet rounds with a striped candy cane kiss melting into every center, and the December afternoon we made them, Lizzie appointed herself official kiss-presser and took the job very seriously. If you love the classic version, our chocolate blossom cookies are the original these grew from.
Cake mix keeps the dough foolproof, so the whole batch is mixed, baked, and kissed inside 20 minutes.
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 204kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft cocoa red velvet with cool peppermint white chocolate
- ✋ Difficulty: As easy as cookies get, right there with our edible sugar cookie dough
Quick Answer
Mix a box of red velvet cake mix with vegetable oil, water, and an egg until no dry spots remain. Scoop tablespoon sized dollops 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet, top with red sprinkles, and bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes. The second they come out, press an unwrapped candy cane kiss into the center of each cookie and let them cool completely.
Jump to:
- Red Velvet Blossom Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Red Velvet Blossom Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cake mix is a cheat code. The mix already has the flour, cocoa, color, and leavening balanced, adding oil and egg converts it from cake batter ratio to chewy cookie dough.
- Oil keeps them fudgy. Oil coats the flour proteins better than butter would here, which is why these bake up with that soft, brownie-edged texture.
- The kiss goes in hot. Pressing the kiss into a just-baked cookie lets the residual heat weld it in place, on a cooled cookie it would just sit there and fall off.
- Kisses set back up glossy. The candy cane kisses soften but do not fully melt, so they re-set with their stripes and shape intact, that is the whole blossom look.
- A cookie scoop means even bakes. Uniform dollops finish at the same moment, so every cookie is soft-centered when the kisses go in.
- Cooling on the pan first. A few minutes on the hot sheet finishes the centers gently, moving them too soon while the kiss is molten smears the stripes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Four ingredients and 15 minutes, this is the cookie to make when the bake sale email arrives at 8 PM the night before.
- The striped kisses do the decorating for you, zero piping skills required, unlike the trees on our Christmas tree cupcakes, adorable but hands-on.
- Red cookie, white and red striped kiss, they are the most Christmas-coded thing on the cookie tray without a single decorating tool.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our red velvet cookies and cream brownies.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our chocolate chip red velvet banana bread.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our candy cane hearts.
Key Ingredients
Four ingredients, one bowl, and the cake mix does all the heavy lifting.
- Red Velvet Cake Mix: The whole flavor base, cocoa, vanilla, and that signature red, already balanced in one box. Any brand works.
- Vegetable Oil: A quarter cup turns cake mix into cookie dough with soft, brownie-like chew instead of cake crumb.
- Egg and Water: The egg binds and the splash of water loosens the dough just enough to scoop cleanly.
- Candy Cane Kisses: The blossom on top. The striped peppermint white chocolate kisses melt slightly into the warm cookies and set glossy. Unwrap them before the cookies bake, you will not have time after.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
The cake mix plus kiss formula is endlessly remixable, swap either half.
- Different kisses: Hugs, classic milk chocolate, cherry cordial, or mint truffle kisses all work when candy cane ones sell out.
- Chocolate cake mix: Devil’s food mix with candy cane kisses makes a dark chocolate peppermint blossom.
- Roll in sugar: Roll the dough balls in granulated or sparkling sugar before baking for a crackly, glittery finish.
- Classic peanut butter: Our chocolate blossom cookies route, swap in milk chocolate kisses and you are in traditional blossom territory.
- Valentine version: Same red cookie, cherry cordial kisses, and heart sprinkles, February handled.
- If you want to switch things up, our red velvet sandwich cookies plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- If you want to switch things up, our red velvet cheesecake cake plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- In the mood for something different? Our red velvet cupcake scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, vegetable oil, water, and egg until fully combined with no dry spots.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop tablespoon sized dollops of dough about 2 inches apart, a cookie scoop makes this fast and even. Top with red sparkling sprinkles if using.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are set at the edges but still soft in the center. While they bake, unwrap your candy cane kisses.
- The moment the pan comes out of the oven, press one candy cane kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Let the cookies rest on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, the kisses need time to set back up before stacking.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Unwrap the kisses while the cookies bake. You have about a 60 second window when the pan comes out, foil wrappers do not respect deadlines.
- Do not overbake. Pull them when the centers still look slightly underdone, red velvet crumbs hide color changes so trust the timer, not your eyes.
- Press kisses straight down, one firm push to the base, wiggling cracks the cookie around the candy.
- Let the kisses fully re-set before stacking or boxing, about an hour at room temperature, or 15 minutes in the refrigerator if you are in a hurry.
- Dough too sticky to scoop? Chill it for 10 minutes, cake mix doughs firm up fast in the refrigerator.
- Lightly oil your scoop and the dollops release cleanly every time.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our cookies and cream blossom cookies when company is coming.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our red velvet ice cream when company is coming.
- Make it a full spread. Our Christmas sandwich cookies rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our Christmas fudge and our chocolate dipped shortbread cookies.
They keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days, and the baked cookies freeze beautifully for a month, add the kisses after thawing if you are working way ahead.
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies FAQs
Candy cane kisses, the striped peppermint white chocolate ones, are the classic for red velvet blossom cookies, the stripes against the red cookie are pure Christmas. They are seasonal, so grab them early. Hugs, milk chocolate, or cherry cordial kisses are all great backups.
Yes, any scratch red velvet cookie dough works as the base for red velvet blossom cookies, bake as directed and press the kisses in hot. The cake mix version exists because it is genuinely foolproof and gets you from box to blossom in about 15 minutes with 4 ingredients.
The candy cane kisses are more melt-prone than regular milk chocolate kisses because of the white chocolate base. Press them in and then leave the cookies alone to cool, do not move the pan to a warm spot. If your kitchen runs hot, slide the whole tray in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the kisses.
Red velvet blossom cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days, with the kisses staying glossy and the cookies soft. For longer storage, freeze the cookies in a single layer for up to a month, the kisses hold up surprisingly well in the freezer.
Cake mix cookie dough spreads when it is too warm or too wet. Measure the oil and water exactly, and if the dough feels loose, chill it 10 to 15 minutes before scooping. Scooping onto a cool baking sheet, never a hot one fresh from the oven, also keeps the cookies thick.
Easily, two boxes of cake mix, half a cup each of oil and water, and two eggs doubles red velvet blossom cookies to about two dozen. Mix it in one big bowl and bake in batches, pressing kisses into each tray as it comes out. One bag of candy cane kisses covers a double batch.
More of a spoon-over-oven person? Our edible sugar cookie dough requires zero baking.
Red Velvet Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box red velvet cake mix
- 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1 egg
- Candy Cane Kisses
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all the ingredients except for the kisses until combined (no dry spots!).
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place Tbsp sized dollops about 2 inches apart, I used a scooper. Top with red shiny sprinkles.Bake 8-10 minutes. Place on a wired rack.
- Immediately place a candy cane Kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wired rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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These sound so yummy AND look so pretty and festive- they’d add a great touch to a party platter!
Those cookies! Yum!
Red Velvet is my favorite! I can’t wait to try these yummy and very festive cookies! Thank for sharing! PINNED!